HBCU Band appoints its first-ever white drum major

The position of Drum Major in an HBCU Band is a role that holds one of the highest distinctions on an HBCU football game day. Even with record enrollments and increased diversity at historically black colleges and universities, the Drum Major of an HBCU band is a role that is still commonly occupied by African-American males. According to a report by the Savannah Tribune , Savannah State University’s Powerhouse of the South Marching Band will come into its 2024 football season with its first-ever white Drum Major in Hinesville, Georgia native Christopher Taylor.

Taylor, in his third year as a member of the Powerhouse of the South Marching Band told the Tribune, “I am just very honored to be a part of Savannah State’s history. I aim to make the school proud and paint a bright future for not only the band program but for the city of Savannah as well.”

Taylor initially tried out for Drum Major in the spring but wasn’t chosen, he tried out again for the Fall season and was picked for the position. “I didn’t want to give up. Becoming drum major was a goal I set out for myself when I first came to SSU and I wanted to see it through to the end,” Taylor said.

Chris Taylor will be one of three Drum Majors for Savannah State this year, joining Aaron Franklin and head drum major Shai McKenney in leading the 125-member band.

Savannah State director of bands Dr. Gabriel Arnold told the Savannah Tribune that seven others tried out for the position but that Taylor’s marching and communication skills got him the job over the other candidates. “He is an outstanding marcher and gives 1000 percent each time he is on the field…He also has great communication skills and he won over a lot of the members because of that,” said Dr. Gabriel.

Aubrey Simmons, a former Drum Major at North Carolina Central University was Chris Taylor’s band director in high school at the Bradwell Institute in Hinesville, Georgia, and has been an assistant band director for the Powerhouse of the South since 2021, working closely with Taylor as he has transitioned from the corps style of marching band of his high school to the flashier showtime or HBCU style of marching band in college.

“He joined the marching band his sophomore year (of high school) and began to work really hard on becoming a great bandsman. He worked hard to become section leader his senior year and did an amazing job of leading a great group of students… Chris is the first collegiate drum major to come out of one of my band programs. I am hoping that he will not be the last. I do know that he will be great at SSU leading the band this coming year.” Simmons says in the article .

While Chris Taylor isn’t the first white Drum Major of an HBCU band, it is still rare to see a white person in the leading role of an African-American musical institution like an HBCU Band, but with Taylor being local to the region and a fan of the HBCU style of play, his connections to the area and music make him a perfect fit for the role, regardless of race. “I would say Bradwell had a huge impact on my decisions not only because of style but because of Mr Aubrey Simmons. He encouraged SSU as an option and knowing he was also involved with SSU’s band I felt comfortable with the decision…Savannah isn’t too far from home and the tuition compared to other schools seemed a lot more manageable. The band also grabbed my attention and I knew I wanted to be apart of this style and culture in Savannah.”

Taylor will take the field for his first game as a Drum Major against Central State University on Sept. 14 at Theodore A. Wright Stadium in Savannah, Georgia.

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